Chapter 4 Grant
Evie’s birthdays were always a big celebration.
Even on her first birthday, we picnicked at her favorite park in the city.
She started talking very early, so for her second birthday, she insisted on brunch .
It took her a while to walk properly, but damn, could the girl talk!
One year, we all went to Disney. If I didn’t see that place ever again, it would be too soon for me.
But this year, surprisingly, she’d wanted to celebrate at home with all of her classmates.
My brother had hired an entire entertainment company—apparently, it was “the thing” to do for kids’ birthday parties.
Heath’s house was in the St. Johns neighborhood. It was huge, and he had a shit ton of windows and doors. It had been complicated to properly secure it—the expansive yard had especially been a pain in the ass—but he’d never had a break-in.
He also had an enormous pool. We were all hanging around it, since the catering company had installed a bona fide adult bar for today.
Cameron was having a blast, coming from the bar with his second cocktail—a blue mix this time. “Love that you’ve got an attraction for adults too. ”
Heath laughed. “All the perks of being on my own turf, so to speak.”
“How come there aren’t other parents around?” Sybil asked. “Especially with the pool.”
Heath pointed to the entertainment team. “They’re all lifeguards. Parents were relieved that they didn’t have to attend yet another kid’s party, so they just dropped off Evie’s friends.” He turned to our parents. “Mom, Dad, want anything to drink?”
“I still have some of my mojito,” Sybil said.
Thomas held up his beer. “Not dry yet, but we’ll let you know whenever we need refreshments.”
My brothers had called them Mom and Dad since the very beginning, but it had always seemed strange to me. To this day, I called them Sybil and Thomas.
I leaned back in my chair and took them in for a minute.
They’d both aged ten years after Thomas had to close his construction company.
They’d been working sixty hours a week trying to salvage it, but with a downturn in the economy, they simply weren’t getting enough projects.
My brothers and I repeatedly told them that they didn’t have to work like that, that we would gladly take care of them, but Thomas was concerned for the employees, too, and they wanted to give it their all to try and keep it afloat.
I couldn’t fault them for it, as that was how they raised me.
I might’ve only been under their roof for a few years, but I’d picked up a lot of values from them.
Evie came running up to us, smiling from ear to ear. Even though her lips were a bit blue, she was red in the face. My brother had a heated pool, but she’d been in it for hours.
“Uncle Grant, can you show my friends the butterfly stroke? I told them you do it perfectly.”
“Sure.” I’d already changed into my swim trunks, figuring I would get into the pool whenever all the kids were out, but they were still playing around. “Your friends will have to move over there. I need space.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” she said, noting the direction I pointed .
“I can show you the butterfly stroke too,” Heath said.
“Uncle Grant does it better.”
I puffed out my chest, feeling damn proud after that response.
My brother cocked a brow at me. “By all means, go show off.”
I laughed. “Do you want to do it alongside me?” I asked Evie as we both went to the pool.
She nodded eagerly. “Yes. I told all of them I can do it, but they wouldn’t believe me.” Then she whispered, “Even Dad doesn’t know that I know how to do it.”
I frowned. “Your dad knows I’ve been teaching you how to swim, right?” I didn’t believe in secrets between parents and children.
“Yes, but I didn’t tell him about the butterfly stroke. I figured he’d be proud of me.”
I nodded, pretending I understood what she meant. The concept of doing something to make a parent proud was foreign to me. Growing up in the system, I’d only known pure survival. The best thing I could hope for on a daily basis was not to annoy the personnel or the older kids.
It helped that my brothers and I were very tall and generally big for our ages. It had kept some of the bullies at bay, though not everyone. Thank God Evie didn’t have to worry about any of that. Her dad and uncles would never let anything happen to her.
The kids had moved to the edge of the pool and were all watching intently.
I had a huge pool at my house as well. I kept it heated year-round and used it often, even when the temps were freezing.
I’d started swimming when Sybil and Thomas adopted us.
They took us to swimming lessons, and it turned out I had a knack for it.
The instructor told them that even though I had a late start, I had a good chance to secure a scholarship at a college if I went pro.
All three of us did that, actually, and then we’d all paid off the debts the scholarships didn’t cover the minute Clifford Security turned a profit.
The butterfly stroke was my favorite. It required more effort than any other style, so it cleared my mind of work.
I positioned myself so I left enough space for Evie, too, even though she’d be behind me the entire time. We dove in, and I did one full lap, then looked up as Evie came toward me with determined strokes.
She was so focused and didn’t stop to look at me, her dad, or her friends. Nothing was going to keep her from reaching her goal. This kid was going places one day.
When she reached me, I grabbed one of her small arms, keeping her afloat.
“Did you see me?” she asked excitedly, wiping water from her face.
“Yes! You did it perfectly.”
“Are you proud of me?”
The question took me by complete surprise. “Of course I am!”
Her face lit up.
I told her regularly that I was proud of her, didn’t I? Though right now, I couldn’t remember for the life of me.
Heath came up to us. “You two have been keeping secrets.”
Evie winked at her dad. “Am I cool or what?”
“Yes, you are,” he replied.
She was all smiles as she climbed out of the pool and went back to her friends.
“You’re taking the swimming lessons with Evie seriously,” Heath said.
I nodded, resting my arms on the edge of the pool. “Yeah. I figured I’d show her all the tricks.”
“You want to make that girl a swimmer too?” Sybil was walking towards us, holding an orange drink. Clearly she’d finished her mojito.
“Why not?” I asked .
“It was good for you boys. Helped you pack on a lot of muscle. But go easy on the girl. She doesn’t need bulging arms.”
I laughed. “Swimming is good for everybody. You do it too.”
She nodded. “Yes, but I take it easy. You’re going at it like you’re still trying to win a medal.”
“It relaxes me,” I said with a shrug. “All right, let me join you. Heath, I want a drink too.”
“The usual?”
“No, surprise me with something.”
My brother whistled as I got out of the pool. “What? Are you drunk already?”
“Don’t be a buffoon,” I said as we approached the bar.
“Hey,” Heath told the bartender, “surprise my brother with something.” He said the words as if he couldn’t believe them.
Cameron joined us too. “Hey, what’s up with a surprise drink?”
I rolled my eyes. “Can you two get off my ass about it?”
“There’s something on your mind,” Thomas said from behind me, clearly having overheard us. He still hadn’t finished his beer.
“Yeah, I’m trying to solve a situation .”
My brothers instantly tensed. Cameron looked straight at me.
Heath frowned. “Work stuff?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly. It’s about Roger’s engagement party. I can’t properly secure the perimeter of the restaurant.”
Cameron blinked. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Grant, that place is small. How hard can it be?” Heath cocked a brow.
“It’s not impossible. I just can’t do it the way I would like to, given how stubborn the owner is.”
“Wait, you’re talking about Daphne and Roger’s engagement party?” Sybil asked.
“Yes.”
“But Roger said their friend’s venue is perfect,” she replied .
Roger often stopped by to catch up with my parents. He knew them before we did.
“You know I like to do our jobs properly. I told her that I want to be able to secure the perimeter for safety reasons, which means putting up cameras, a fence, the usual.”
“You want to fence up the restaurant?” Sybil sounded shocked.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Heath said.
“Yeah, it’s standard procedure, actually,” Cameron added.
I nodded. “Exactly, but she wasn’t open to it—said it would ruin her aesthetics.”
“I can imagine that,” Sybil said.
“You know what? I’m going in your place,” Cameron cut in.
I scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I told Roger I’ll do it, so I will.”
“Look, I know how you like to do things, and from the sound of it, you won’t come to an agreement with that guy.”
“It’s a woman. Her name is Ruby. She’s Daphne’s friend.”
“Well, you and Ruby won’t agree anytime soon.”
My jaw ticked. Of course I trusted my brother—I wouldn’t be working with him if I didn’t—and he did a fantastic job 100 percent of the time. But I’d promised my friend that I’d take care of this for him, and I planned to see it through myself.
“No, it’s on me. I’ll do it. I’m going to see the location again next week.”
“How about I go with you,” Heath offered.
“It’ll be midnight.” My brother never left the house after Evie’s bedtime.
His eyes bulged. “Why?”
“Because the restaurant will be closed and prepped for the next day by that point, and I want to see it at night with no customers.”
“Well, good luck, then. Just don’t let this eat too much of your time,” Cameron said.
He was right. I couldn’t believe that I was wasting so much time thinking about it. I was trying to come up with solutions that would please Ruby when the alternative was simple: moving the party elsewhere. But this was important to Daphne, so I was determined to make it work.
For the rest of the Evie’s party, I managed to push the matter to the back of my mind and catch up with everyone. But as soon as I left, my thoughts went right back to The Cozy Place—and they pretty much stayed there if I wasn’t working on anything else.
By the time I pulled my car in front of Ruby’s restaurant on Tuesday evening, I’d made myself a promise: I was going to be open to compromise for my friend’s sake.
The street was very quiet, but then again, this was a residential area.
The restaurant was already closed for the night—it was dark inside, the signs turned off—but I saw Ruby through the front window.
She was sitting on a barstool, holding a drink and tapping her foot.
Fuck, she was in another short dress and heels again.
How could she even wear heels if she was on her feet for so many hours?
Fucking hell. Get a grip, man. I wasn’t here to look at her legs or check her out. I was here to make sure Roger and Daphne had a secure location for their engagement party. That was it.